AL in a heated race to land new Boeing plant, 1,000+ jobs

The competition to land Boeing in Alabama is heating up as other states are making their pitches to the aviation giant. Boeing is currently looking for a new site to build its 777X aircraft.

Boeing has put out feelers to several states, including Alabama, about offers for its new assembly plant for the 777X, and Monday the state of Missouri started its push with a special session of the legislature aimed specifically at approving an incentive package for Boeing.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon called that special session that will consider a package of bills that could lead to as much as $150 million in tax incentives for Boeing.

Boeing already has a huge presence in Missouri, employing 15,000 people in the St. Louis area.

The new plant, wherever it is located, will eventually employ over 1,000 people and should be up and running by 2015.

A spokesperson for Alabama's Governor Robert Bentley wouldn't comment on whether this state has received any requests from Boeing, which has hundreds of employees in the Huntsville area.

The governor's office has confirmed that Gov. Bentley met with Boeing officials almost two weeks ago. By the end of the week, we could know for sure what Boeing would get from Missouri. The question is whether Alabama will put on a full court press to land both Boeing and Airbus in a two year period.

There is a lot of confidence in Alabama political circles. The governor's administration is really keeping everything close to the vest, which was key when it came to the Airbus project. The Airbus information didn't get out until about 24 hours before the announcement.

Alabama officials have a serious leg up when it comes to the discussions, especially compared to Missouri. Alabama doesn't require union membership while Missouri does. That's the problem Boeing ran into in Washington state.

The question is whether Boeing want test the union waters in another state.

Coming up on WSFA 12 News at 6, we're looking at what Alabama gave to Airbus and what it could possibly offer to Boeing.